Telephone dial cleaner



Oct. 28, 1952 2,615,988

TELEPHONE 'DI AL CLEANER Filed May 1, 1950 Patented Oct. 28, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,615,988 TELEPHONE DIAL CLEANER Homer V. Martin, Lincoln, Nebr.

Application May 1, 1950, Serial No. 159,279

A further object is to provide a cleaner for such purpose having a simple holder and a wiping element readily applied and removed but held firmly in place while in use. A still further object of the invention is to provide a specially designed wiping element which can be oscillated about the stationary number plate dial, usually of plastic material, with or without simultaneous movement of the oscillating finger wheel or disk, and with or without removing the receiver from its resting place.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a general view of a telephone dial wiper embodying this invention and shown ap plied to a conventional telephone set.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the wiper.

Figure 3 shows a modified form of wiper.

Figure 4 is a section thru the cover.

Figure 5 is a central section thru the modified form.

Figure 6 is a side view of the wiper.

Figure 7 shows the method of assembly.

Figure 8 is a modified form of cleaner.

In the preferred form shown in Figures 1, 2, 4,. 6 and 7 the main element is a holder II! of plastic, metal, cardboard or any other material which would stand slight pressure, and is disposable or permanent, depending on the material used. The holder [0 includes an arcuate back-l an upper sheet or portion 12 and a lower sheet or portion M. The upper portion has the shape of a capstone, with radial side edges 15 and an arcuate bottom or inner margin I6 of a curvature to match the circular bead between the central card window and the usually integral annular finger wheel or disk which has ten openings corresponding with the ten numerals on the white porcelain dial just below. The upper portion l2 has a central opening I8 of about the same size as the openings in the finger wheel.

The bottom portion or arm I4 is keystone shaped, having an arcuate lower or inner margin 19 which is extended at either side by two lugs 20 projecting laterally from the radial side edge 2|. These lugs provide additional cleaning surface and readily pass the usual stop member of the telephone.

The cleaning element may consist of a simple 4 Claims. (Cl. 179-90) sheet of felt as in Figures 3, 5 and 8 but is preferably a readily detachable cover as in Figure 4 in section, the felt sheet 24 being sewed to a backing 25 of woven cloth, felt or other material parallel to its arcuate inner sideZ'i, its radial sides 28, the short portion 29 and the radial portions 30 but leaving open'the outer arcuate side 3| to form a pocket for the lower arm or portion [4 of the holder Ill.

The sewing is numbered 33 and is so spaced from the edges of the backing 25 and the cleaning material 24 to permit the two corners of the side 35 of the lug 20 to pass snugly when the holder is moved about its corner 36, between the side 2| and the lug 20, as a pivot While in firm contact with the corner of the cover between the margins 29 and 30. When so assembled the cover or cleaning element remains nicely in position in use but can readily be removed for replacement by reversing the assembling step.

In Figures 3 and 5 the holder I0 is the same as before but here the cleaning element 4!! is permanently or semi-permanently secured to the holder. It is shaped similarly to the bottom portion of the holder l0 preferably extending slightly beyond the sides as does the removable cover 2 i25. The cleaning element 40 may be of felt or other absorbent material to receive a cleaning fluid. In its cheaper form the element is glued to a papier-mach holder and is thrown away when dirty and a new unit substituted.

In the simplest form shown in Figure 8 the cleaning element alone is used. In this case the top surface 42 is roughened in any way as by the serrations 43 which are either ridges or indentations to afiord purchase by the finger passing thru the zero hole of the oscillating disk. The cover 24-25 may be used in the same way.

The white porcelain of the telephone dial is usually spherical and the lower portion I4 may be similarly shaped to fit the dial as shown in exaggerated form in Figure 6 but the device works very nearly as well with the portion l4 perfectly flat. It is also contemplated to make the cleaning element 40 of very thin material similar to sponge rubber in which case the cleaning element is simply cleaned when soiled as by simple washing.

When the holder with its cleaning member is placed over the revolving finger wheel and revolved completely around the dial up to the finger stop the cleaning unit has covered the entire length of the white dial. When this unit is used without a finger connection, the dial does not need to be revolved and the cleaning unit can be 3 worked back and forth on the circumference of the revolving disk with the desired number of strokes and pressure to do the job.

What I claim is:

1. A cleaner for the dial of an automatic telephone comprising a holder having a, vertical cylindrical back from the top and bottom arcuate margins of which extend in parallel relation an integral upper horizontal portion and an integral lower horizontal portion, spaced apart so that the upper portion loosely engages the top surface of the oscillating finger disk and the lower portion extends under the oscillating finger disk, and a cleaning element lying parallel to and below the lower portion and movable with the holder to lie flat against and slidingly engage the number carrying dial to clean the dial as the holder is moved about the axis of the disk, with or Without movement of the disk, said holder being freely oscillatable with respect to the disk.

2. Ihe device of claim 1 in which the lower portion has two laterally extending lugs, the upper portion has a finger hole, and the cleaning element is readily detachable, having a pocket into which the two lugs may slip by a tilting motion.

3. A cleaner for the dial of a telephone comprising a holder adapted to be moved by an 4 operators finger, said holder having a fiat portion in the shape of a wide key-stone with a lug at each side of the bottom of the key-stone, and a cleaning element of generally similar shape consisting of a stiff sheet and a felt sheet stitched together at bottom and at both sides with the top open to form a pocket to receive said flat portion by a pivoting or tilting movement when one lug of the fiat portion is inserted in one side of the cleaning element.

4. The cleaner of claim 1 in which the cleaning element is a sheet of absorbent material permanently secured to the holder and the holder is of paper stock so the cleaner may be discarded when soiled.

HOMER V. MARTIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,420,180 Casmire June 20, 1922 1,639,819 Thompson Aug. 23, 1927 1,743,312 Bissiri Jan. 14, 1930 1,906,292 Warren May 2, 1933 

